Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Benedict's Catechesis on the Church Continues

Benedict XVI, partly improvising and reading off his prepared speech,highlighted the role of the Church of Rome, “sign, criterion and guarantee ofthe uninterrupted transmission of the apostolic faith” in the context ofapostolic succession. Although no reference, direct or indirect, was made to theillicit Chinese ordinations, the words spoken by the pope today cannot butappear to be a stress on bishops’ need for a relationship “with Peter”.

Benedict XVI dealt with the theme of apostolic succession, continuingto tackle tradition in the Church. The pope said succession has a “personalaspect”. It was started by Jesus, “gathering the Twelve, who represented thefuture people of God”. After the Ascension and the “defection of Judas”, otherswere “associated” with the Twelve and their ministry, so it would continue, andJesus himself “called” Paul. All of them, as the last expressly said, areconcerned with “passing on what I have received”. “Just as at first, there is acalling and sending by the Risen Lord to the apostles, in the same way, the calland sending of others, in the strength of the Spirit, by those who are alreadyinserted in the apostolic ministry, will be the way through which Episcopalministry is entrusted.”